We Used To Be Friends
by Tuppence
Summary: Clark can remember a time when Chloe was a close friend and Ollie was a trusted ally, a time when Lois and Chloe were sisters and Lois and Ollie friends. Now, he wonders how he can barely recognise Chloe and Ollie, wonders how they ended up like this...


**Disclaimer****:** I don't own Smallville.

**Author's Note****:** So I'm a big fan of Chloe (and Chloe/Oliver). Furthermore, I've noticed how distant Clark and Chloe have grown over the seasons, and same with Lois and Chloe. (I swear, Lois doesn't have the foggiest of how much Chloe knows and does with Oliver's superhero antics.) I just imagined that a fair few years down the line, they would all be more like familiar, friendly acquaintances than anything else and that's what gave birth to this story. It's about rediscovering your roots and lost friendships, of realising and recognising your flaws and choices that led to where the characters are now. This is true with respect to all of the characters in this story but it will especially focus on Clark, Lois, Chloe and Oliver.

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Hey guys!

If you've seen the news recently, an area the size of France and Germany combined has now been declared a disaster zone. I've decided to sign up to a fic auction that raises funds for the Queensland Relief Fund so if you're interested in bidding, please head over to and make a bid for me - my livejournal account is undeadangel and was on page 13, last time I checked!

waltzmatildah(dot)livejournal(dot)com(forwardslash)67134(dot)html?view=1419070#t1419070

I'm taking requests for any character or pairing in Harry Potter, Twilight, Supernatural, Gossip Girl, Cowboy Bebop. I'm willing to take offers from other fandoms, if I'm familiar with them. with regards to Smallville, I'm willing to do the following characters and/or pairings: Chloe/Ollie, Chloe/Jimmy, Chloe/Clark, Clark/Lana, Clark/Lois, Chloe/Bart. If you ask me about other characters and/or pairings, I'll get back to you.

If you guys could spread the word, it would be much appreciated!

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We Used To Be Friends...

Chapter I

There's flashing lights everywhere, most of them from cameras belonging to newspapers and magazines of various types (and quality). Clark's used to it now, but there's a strain of nostalgia in him that makes him think back to a time when he used to find it intimidating, often overwhelming. He's a master at instinctively avoiding any cameras that may have him within their frames now; he doesn't even need to think about it.

He catches sight of Lois, once again in a daring dress that's tantalising and sensual and, once again, it doesn't fail to inspire his imagination (the guttery kind) or remind him of just how lucky he is to have her. The familiar compelling nostalgia reminds him of a time when an entirely different brunette was his whole world and heart. And, with faded guilt and a slight pang, he remembers a best friend, to the both of them, that had given him her heart and that he had ignored for the large part. Maybe drifting apart hadn't been so gradual or incomprehensible as he sometimes thought it was.

There was a nervous knot in his stomach, the kind he hadn't had for years. Call it gut instinct or call it intuition, he knew something big was stirring, something he knew nothing about it. Really, it was because it wasn't just Oliver and Chloe back in town, but all of their Merry Men too. That was a definite sign that they weren't here "just to visit for the sake of memories and finalising a deal", as they had plausibly told journalists. They had pretty much left Smallville to Clark to look after, deeming him sufficient (rightly so) to keep all the evil to a minimum. That this was predominantly due to Lex probably aided their decision. Whatever bad blood there had been between Oliver and Lex, the one between him and Lex eclipsed it, if Lex's single-minded determination to destroy him was anything to go by. Regardless, it made him distinctly uneasy to realise that Oliver and his group had come here for a reason he was completely unaware of.

His eyes trailed inadvertently towards Lois, the mere thought of danger anywhere in her vicinity causing him to seek out and assure himself that she was safe. And she was...sort of. Her backless and completely sexy dress of light blue had clearly attracted not just his attention. His juvenile jealousy long gone, there was only a hint of humour he felt and a bit of concern but he knew from past experience and bruises (that he would've had if he hadn't been _Superman_, as he was now named) that Lois could _definitely_ handle anything those guys could offer.

His eyes returned to the crowds around him, a hub of expectation surrounding the atmosphere. The party, given by one of the bigger customers of Queen Industries, was thrown entirely for Mr. and Mrs. Queen who hadn't appeared yet. Clark knew from watching them on TV that the instant they were seen, they would be mobbed and bombarded with question (a lot of them dubious and pure conjecture, usually centring on Oliver's apparent affairs; a few directed at Chloe's though). He had also seen their responses to their question. Oliver Queen he had expected to be an old hand with such questions. It was Chloe that had surprised him, increasing that feeling of distance, of not knowing her at all. The first time he had heard a question about her possible extra-marital conquests, he'd felt angry on her behalf, only to find her unshaken, replying with complete sang-froid before gracefully moving onto another (far less libellous) question. Her experienced handling of the question had made him switch off the TV straight away, feeling unsettled.

The sudden crescendo in the room alerted him to the arrival of the golden couple in business and, looking around at where all of the reporters were grouping together. He wasn't surprised or _that_ impressed to see Lois right at the fore – her distracting clothes, lethal heels and her willingness to elbow people out of the way usually ensured this but when there were _this_ many reporters around, it still surprised him.

He managed to elbow his way half-way through, forward enough to see Oliver's suave entry (which still irritated him, regardless of how irrational that was). He missed Chloe's entry but he didn't miss her turning in his direction gracefully (he was almost sure she wasn't that graceful back in the day), her strapless dress of a black beaded corset and pure white beneath swirling into a perfect circle. She had a smile on her face, but it wasn't the warm, welcoming one Clark had in his memories. It could just be that she didn't see him.

Of course, she definitely saw Lois, as Lois asked, "So how long are you planning to stay in this small city of Metropolis, cous'?" Clark wasn't sure whether the use of 'cous'' was intentional with regards to making Lois' own journalism more personal, an attempt to get one up on the journalists around her or just a shot at getting Chloe's attention. He knew it had been maybe more than a month since last they spoke and he wasn't surprised to see the same coldly professional smile on Chloe's face, no hint at a close relationship with the questioner present.

"We'll be here till Oliver's business is completed and our nostalgic reminiscing done. Next question please," she had turned away from Lois before her answer had even been completed but Clark had no chance to see what reaction Lois may have had, with her back still towards him.

He inched his way forward; keeping a handle on his strength was pretty much second nature with years of practice but he was mindful of it anyway, when his temper was already irritated with Chloe's treatment of Lois. When had she become so _uncaring_? This was her cousin – the one who'd always been there for her, who had been like a sister for her. When had she started treating her like just another journalist?

Speaking of, he caught sight of the latest journalist asking question, a pretty, perky-looking blonde girl, the way Chloe had been, back in high school. The subject was once again a potential sordid love affair. Chloe laughingly told her that surely she should know that she had better taste in men than that. But it wasn't the question or the answer that had grabbed Clark's attention. A subtle earpiece, unnoticeable unless someone was looking out for it (or had an alienally keen eye sight), was present and familiar; the kind of familiarity that went with most of the common items used by Oliver's super-powered team. She was obviously one of the Merry Men and maybe he would have expected Oliver to use someone in the media like this but he honestly had thought that Chloe had some morals left. Her moral tone had clearly slipped further and further away after she had left Smallville and Metropolis; he just hadn't expected it to have reached such a bad stage.

Once again reigning his rising frustration in, he inched ever closer to the front, listening to the questions and answers with only half an ear. Watching closely, that sinking feeling growing stronger, he realised that no such earpiece was present in Chloe's ears. A quick glance told him that it wasn't present in Oliver's either. So what was going on? Had the team gone rogue (maybe against _both _of their leaders, who looked like they had a dysfunctional moral compass)? Or maybe it was an operation that didn't require any of their expertise or involvement? Or, at a distant guess, maybe it was an elaborate plan needing the two of them to be in the public eye whilst the rest of their team did everything black ops style?

Whatever it was, it left Clark feeling decidedly uneasy with a bitter taste in his mouth. With the two of them in such a public place and one of their team members posing as a journalist (and Lois so close to what could be danger and harm), he was completely on edge.

That was probably why he felt a lot less surprised than everyone else in the room when he heard the loud noises, one shot, then another and a final one. He managed to knock the bullets away from harming people in time. His eyes immediately sought Lois, relief flooding through him when he found her unharmed, running away from danger with the masses. When he looked for Chloe, he found her on the ground, eyes wide with fear and shock, Oliver nowhere to be seen.


End file.
